Wartime HistoryDuring 1942-3 Cairns
Harbor was an important US Navy (USN), Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as a flying boat base. The shore facilities were developed with oil storage, floating dock, slipway
and a small craft repair facility. An anti-submarine boom was installed across the harbor, with a net portion that would open to allow ships to enter.

The wharf was improved
by the 55th Seabee Battalion, to support 7th Fleet smaller ships.
By the middle of the war, Cairns was replaced by Miline Bay as the primary
US Navy transshipment center in the region.

Flying Boat BaseDuring 1942-1945, Cairns Harbor was used by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as a flying boat base